Soybean Damage from Storms

Only a small percentage of the state’s soybean crop was harvested prior to Hurricane Gustav, and damage to the crop so far is estimated at more than $115 million or nearly 28 percent of this year’s anticipated value. Of the soybeans remaining to be harvested, there was some damage noted, but the bigger issue for the crop is flooded fields. Those flooded fields will affect yields, and, depending on how close to harvest these fields were, it could have a fairly significant effect on quality. As with most commodities, weather conditions over the next several weeks will help determine final damage levels. Increased production costs also are expected because of decreases in harvest efficiency and increased tillage needed to prepare land for 2009 production.